A Snowy Wet Day on the Headwall and Chester Lakes Circuit

Looking back up the Chester valley. Mt Chester and friends are up there somewhere!

This is an amazing hike, and one that I shall certainly do again. Far from spoiling the day, the threatening skies and heavy rain high in the Headwall Lakes valley just improved the atmosphere.

Headwall Lakes Valley

Lower Headwall Lake. The trail climbs the headwall on the right

No trickery - the mountains really are stacked like books falling from a shelf!

I'd been to Chester Lakes before, so we opted for the anticlockwise circuit, climbing up through Headwall Lakes, then over the Fortress col, and descending via Chester Lakes. This proved to be excellent, and I'd repeat it in the same direction.

It's a long way!

Amanada, just before the rain hit us

The slow and loose haul up to the Fortress Col.

By hiking the route anticlockwise, you avoid a lot of the crowds, and the grind up to the Fortress col is completed on firmer scree. There were some out-of-control people on the descent from the col, and although it offered a fun, fast descent, I was aware of the potential for a needless incident involving loose rocks and/or flying bodies. With the cloud down to around 2,700 m there was no point in continuing to the Fortress just for the sake of summiting, so we rolled back to the parking lot, pleased to have enjoyed such a beautiful valley.

This is one of the most lovely valleys I've hiked in the Rockies. It reminded me of Arran.

Me on the col

The Fortress beyond the col